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U.S. Paying Mexico to Crack Down on Migrants

Thousands of Central American migrants ride trains known as La Bestia (the beast) during their long and perilous journeys north through Mexico to the U.S. border

A year ago migrants from Central America were pouring into Mexico. Their next stop was the United States. Today they are not pouring in as much as before. What happened?

The answer is simple. The United States sent millions of dollars to Mexico. The purpose: the U.S. wants Mexico to detain and send the migrants back to their homelands.

The whole story is ugly. An advocate said, “The U.S. government is sponsoring the hunting of migrants in Mexico. It wants to prevent them from reaching the U.S.”

The stories of living in crime-ridden countries and trying to escape those countries are horrible. Gangs extort money and force young people to join them. Many who refuse to join the gangs are tortured and murdered.

Smugglers extract huge sums from travelers. Then they desert them or put them on paths that lead to the police and more abuse.

Mexico is sending hundreds of agents to its southern border. It is conducting raids on places where migrants travel, such as freight trains, bus stations, hotels, and highways.

The program is working. The number of migrants grabbed by Mexico is zooming up. The number who are caught by the U.S. is going down sharply.

The cost in human life and suffering cannot be measured. Still, migrant children keep trying to reach the U.S. Last month twice as many children traveling alone were caught crossing the border into the U.S. than were caught a year ago.

This is taking place even as Mexico is doing all it can to stop the children. Mexico has already stopped 18,310 minors in the first seven months of this year. This is about one-third more than the same period last year.

Murder, mutilation and even the sale of body parts are happening in Mexico and Central America. The United States bears a good deal of responsibility.